Mechanical movement.



PATENTED SEPT. 22, 1903,

c. A. GARLSON.

MBGEANIGAL MOVEMENT.

1 APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 5,

H0 MODEL.

INVENTOR. BY CZ mfg/Y. Cards'wz.

WITNESSES, 132mm A TTORNE Y.

Ma, WASH mm Patented September 22, 1902i.

PATENT OF ICE.

OHARLEY 'A. UARLSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MECHANICAL MOVEMENT.

srnonrrcarron forming part of Letters Patent No.

739,533, dated September 22, 1903.

Application filed September 5,1902. Serial No. 122,230. (No model.)

To all whom itmay concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLEY A. OARLsoN, V

a citizen of the United States, residingat Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMechanical Movements, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mechanical movements, and has for its object the construction of more efficient mechanism for changing reciprocating into'rotary motions in engines for power generation, avoiding, so far as possihis, the loss of power due to variations in crank leverage in reciprocating engines of the common pattern, rendering efiective a more nearly constant and continuous steam-pressure, with no dead-centers.

While my device as a mechanical movement is doubtless adapted to serve a number of useful purposes, to facilitate description I shall confine myself in this specification to its adaptation to a novel form of reciprocating engine.

Not least among the sources of loss of energy in .reciprocating engines, as is well known, is the inability to render available the total expansive force and pressure of the steam or othermotive agent throughout the entire or complete stroke of the piston on account of the varying leverage, decreasing from its maximum at the quarters to zero at the deadcenters. In engines of the common pattern, furthermore, the piston-rod necessarily operating in the same horizontal plane which passes through the axis'of the driving-wheel, it is evident that the maximum leverage during a single stroke cannotexceed one-half the length of said stroke.

Further objects of my invention therefore are to increase the leverage without increasing the length of stroke and to retain the leverage more nearly uniform throughout the stroke.

As applied to an engine my invention consists generally in the employment, with an ordinary power-cylinder, piston, and drivingwheel, of two oppositely-disposed looselymounted cranks, connecting means between said cranks and piston to simultaneously oscillate said cranks in opposite directions of rotation, and clutch members upon said cranks to alternately grip said wheel and drive 'bodying my invention.

the same in one direction of rotation, automatically releasing said wheel during oscillation in the contrary direction; and my invention further consists in the specific means employed to produce this simultaneous oscillation inopposite directions; and my invention further consists in the particular form of clutch members employed to alternately and automatically grip and release said Wheel; and my invention further consists in the various details of construction and in combinations ofparts, all as hereinafter described,

and particularly pointed out in the claims.

My invention will be more readily understood by reference to the ac'com panyin g drawings, forming a part of this specification, and

' in which-- t Figure 1 is a side elevation of an engine cm- Fig. 2 is a horizontal section substantially on the line'm a: of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the preferred form of clutch. Fig. 4: is a top plan View of a modified form of clutch. Fig. 5 is a vertical section substantially on the line 3/ y of either Fig. 3 or Fig. 4.

As hereinbefore stated, in order that my invention may he more clearly set forth and understood I will proceed to describe the same as applied to a reciprocating engine, as illustrated in the drawings, in which numeral 2 refers to the cylinder, 3 to the piston-rod, andt to the pitman or connecting-rod, all of which may be of common pattern and con 'struction.

The driving-wheel 5, which is preferably disk-faced, is provided with a projecting rim 6 to furnish an annular friction surface, against which the hereinafter described clutch members operate. The shaft 7, upon which said'wheel is keyed, is preferably journaled in bearings in the pillow-pedestal 8, mounted upon the base or foundation plate 9. Upon the shaft 7a're mounted the loose cranks 10 and 1l,revoluble independent ofsaid shaft, the bearings of both being contiguous and the crank 11 being crooked to provide for the oscillation of both cranks through limited arcs in the same vertical plane. These cranks are mounted to revolve within the cup formed by the wheel and rim, the free extremities of said cranks being contiguous to the interior face of said rim.

Concentrically attached to the crank 11 and preferably forming a part or member thereof is the spurgear 12, meshing with a similar spur-gear13, with which the crank 14 is similarly provided. loosely mounted upon a shortshaft 15, carried by an arm or projection from the pillow-pedestal 8, and controls the movement of the crank 10 through the connecting rod 16. The gears being equal and the operative lengths of the cranks 11 and 14 being the same, itis evident that oscillation of the crank 11 will effect the simultaneous oscillation through an equal arc and in a contrary direction-of the crank 10. To effect this oscillation, I have shown the pitman 4:, suitablyattached to the crank 11.

Each of the cranks 10 and 11 presentsasubstantially flat face at its extremity to the inner face of the rim 6, and the length of said cranks being somewhat less than the diameter of the chamber formed by the rim and said face being oblique with reference to a bisect usual pattern, having a stroke,

ing diametric plane a wedge-shaped chamber is provided for the preferably tapering or Wedge-shaped platform l7,havingaslotted lug or projection 18. Into this slot 19 extends the spring 20, suitably attached at its other extremity to the crank and operating to drive said platform wedge-like into the narrowing space between the end of said crank and the rim. This platform, however, does not come into actual contact with either the crank or rim, being provided with a plurality of apertures 21 21 of suitable size and preferably in rows of two apertures each, which contain and guide an equal number of steel balls, each ball being slightly greater in diameter than the width or thickness of the platform at the aperture which the ball is placed. These balls are wedged between the two surfaces when the crank moves in a direction opposite to the force generated by the spring 20 and serve to bind the crank and wheel together, instantly releasing said rim when the crank starts to oscillate in a reverse direction.

It will be noticed that the springs 20 are located upon the same relative sides of the cranks and 11, so that each clutch operates during that stroke of the crank upon which it is mounted, which tends to drive the wheel in one direction-in the particular construction illustrated in the drawings a clockwise direction. Said cranks oscillating simultaneously in opposite directions through equal arcs, clutching the wheel during each forward stroke or oscillation and releasing said wheel instantly upon the start of the return stroke or oscillation, it is evident that in operation there will be almost a cont-inuous and uniform application of power to drive said wheel.

In reciprocating engines of the common or for example, of twenty-four inches, the piston-rod necessarily operating in the same horizontalplane which contains the crank ordriving wheel,

This crank 14 is preferably it is evident that the maximum leverage at any time duringa single stroke will be twelve inches.

I do not desire to'be limited to the specific form of clutch heretofore described, as it is obvious that there are many ways in which the desired result may be accomplished differing in detail from the construction shown without departing from the spirit of this invention. For instance, I have shown in Fig. 4 a modification of the clutch, in which I employ a cylindrical roller 22 in a guiding and retaining aperture 23 to replace each row of balls. It is evident that the roller will perform a similar function and in a precisely similar manner.

Inasmuch as more than one complete stroke of the piston is necessary to effect a single revolution of the wheel, attention is called to the fact that the usual eccentrics on the main shaft cannot be. employed to control the valves, which should be operated from the cross-head of the piston-rod. This means for Valve control is not novel, nor is it an essential element of this invention, and is consequently not shown in the drawings.

Many modifications of other minor details of my improved mechanical movement will doubtless readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art to which it appertains,'and I therefore do not desire to limit my invention to the specific construction herein shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a mechanical movement, the combination, with a wheel of two oppositely-radiating loose cranks, reciprocating thrust members for operating each of said cranks, means between one of said cranks and one of said thrust members for operating the latter, and

means upon each of said cranks automatically clutching said wheel during oscillation in one direction.

2. In a mechanical movement, the combination, with a wheel of two oppositely-disposed loose cranks, a crank-operated and an arm-operating pinion intermeshing for simultaneously oscillating said cranks in opposite.

directions, an arm secured to said latter pinion, a reciprocating member pivotally connecting said arm and one of said loose cranks, a pitman operating the other of said loose cranks and means upon each of said cranks for automatically clutching said wheel during oscillation of said cranks in one direction.

3. In a mechanical movement, the combination, with a wheel and its journal-bearing support, of two oppositely-disposed loose cranks, rotatable means pivoted upon said support, a reciprocating thrust member pivotally connecting said means and one of-said cranks for simultaneously oscillating said cranks inopposite directions, a pitman oper ating the other crank and means upon each of said cranks for automatically clutching ICO said wheel during oscillation of the cranks in onedirection.

4. In a mechanical movement, the combination, with a wheel, of a driving and a driven loose crank mounted to rotate upon' the axis of the wheel, means for oscillating said driving-crank, rotary means pivoted concentrically with said driving-crank for oscillating the driven crank by the drivingcrank, meansoperatively connected with said rotary means for reciprocating a thrust memher, said thrust member operating the driven crank, a reciprocating thrust member pivoted to said driven crank and said firstmentioned thrust member and means upon each of said cranks for automatically clutching and releasing said wheel to rotate same in one direction.

5. In a mechanical movement, the combination with a wheel having a laterally-projecting rim of two oppositely-disposed, loose cranks mounted to operate within the chamber formed by said rim, means for simultaneously oscillating said cranks through equal arcs in opposite directions, and a spring-actuated, sliding platform between the end of each crank and the rim to guide and control suitable balls which are wedged between and bind said crank and rim during oscillation in one direction and released during oscillation in a contrary direction and the balls interposed between said platform and thearm.

6. In a mechanical movement, the combination, with a wheel and its axial bearingsupports, of a driving-crank, a driven crank and a gear secured to said driving-crank, all mounted concentrically with said wheel, an arm-operating gear mounted upon one of said axial supports and meshing with the firstmentioned gear, the arm, a pitman between said arm and said driven crank, and means upon each of said cranks engaging said wheel during their oscillation in one direction and releasing said wheel during their oscillation in the other direction.

7. In a mechanical movement, the combination with a wheel of two oppositely-disposed, concentrically-mounted loose cranks, an independently-mounted auxiliary crank, means for oscillating one of said loose cranks, connecting means between said oscillated crank and said auxiliary crank to simultaneously oscillate said auxiliary crank through an equal arc in an opposite direction of rotation,connecting means between said auxiliary crank and the other loose crank to efiect theirjoint and uniform oscillation, and means upon each of said concentrically-mounted, loose cranks for automatically clutching said wheel during oscillation in one direction.

8. In a mechanical movement, the combination with a wheel of two oppositely-disposed, concentrically-mounted, loose cranks, an independentlymounted auxiliary crank, means for oscillating one of said loose cranks and for oscillating the auxiliary crank by said loose crank, a connecting-rod joining said auxiliary crank and the other loose crank to elfect their simultaneous and uniform oscillation, and means upon each of said loose cranks'to automatically clutch said wheel during oscillation in one direction.

9. In a mechanical movement, the combination with a Wheel having a laterally projecting rim of two oppositely-disposed, loose cranks mounted to operate within the cham ber formed by said rim, means for simultaneously oscillating said cranks through equal arcs in opposite directions, a spring-actuated, sliding platform between the end of each crank and the rim, and at least one roller within a suitable aperture in each of said platforms adapted to be wedged between and bind said cranks and rim during oscillation in one direction and released during oscillationin a contrary direction.

10. Ina mechanical movement, the combination with a wheel having a laterally-projecting rim of two oppositely-disposed, loose cranks mounted to rotate within'the chamber formed by said rim, each presenting a flat face to said rim at its outer extremity and said face slanting toward said rim in one direction to provide a wedge-shaped chamber between said cranks and rim, and a springactnated, sliding platform within each of said wedged shaped chambers provided with means to automatically bind said cranks and rim together during oscillation in one direction.

11. In a mechanical movement, the combination with a wheel having a laterally-projecting rim of two oppositely-disposed, loose cranks concentrically mounted to rotate with in the chamber formed by said rim, an independently-mounted, auxiliary crank, means for oscillating one of said loose cranks, con necting means between said-oscillated crank and said auxiliary crank to simultaneously oscillate the latter through an equal are in an opposite direction of rotation, connecting means between said auxiliary crank and the other loose crank to effect their joint and uniform oscillation, a spring-actuated, sliding platform between the end of each of said loose cranks and the rim, and at least one ball within a suitable aperture in each of said platforms and adapted to bind said cranks and rim during oscillation in one direction.

12. In a mechanical movement, the combi nation, with a wheel having a laterally-projecting rim, of two oppositely-disposed, loose cranks concentrically mounted to rotate within the chamber formed by said rim, an independently-mounted, auxiliary crank, means for oscillating one of said loose cranks, a spurgear secured to said loose crank, a similar gear meshing with the first-mentioned gear secured to said auxiliary crank, a connecting-rod joining said auxiliary crank and the other loose crank to efiect their simultaneous and uniform oscillation, each of said" loose cranks presentinga fiat face to the rim at its outer extremity and said face slanting toward 4 "raises In testimony of the foregoing have here- 15 unto set my hand, this 25th day of August,

1902, in the presence of two subscribing witsaid rim in one direction to provide a wedgeshaped chamber between each of said cranks and said rim, and a spring-actuated, sliding platform within said Wedge-shaped chambers nesses.

provided With means to automatically bind together said cranks and rim during oscilla- OHARLEY CARLSON' tion in one direction, and automatically re- Witnesses:

'F. E. STEWART, A. G. STUBBS.

leasing said cranks during oscillation in a contrary direction. 

